We are in an Energy Revolution!

Watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZYIZpg2LKo.  It surprised even me - a person already enrolled in the revolution we are witnessing.  It expresses the coming changes in a way that tells everyone this is NOW, and this is huge.  Think of this:  Sunpower was a $10 million company in 2004, now it is worth over a billion dollars.

My cousin sent me this article:
http://inventorspot.com/articles/power_utilities_scared_solar_panels

Recently I've been working with a number of other clients in developing model designs for various buildings, and I keep encountering the doubts that people have about high performance construction, especially regarding finding the sweet spot in terms of optimizing their project and the resulting costs.

I often find myself telling them that what they may not realize is that Passive House is just the beginning, and the 'sweet spot' has already, for the most part, been realized by the Passive House research which has shown again and again that the thing to do is to build to this standard.  This is just the beginning because net zero is next, and then net positive, and complete self-sufficiency.  Only three years ago, net zero was a highly expensive and ambitious endeavour.  Today, numerous governments are talking, even announcing, that their building codes will mandate net zero in a few short years (!).  We are in the midst of a pretty wild and disruptive energy and renewable energy revolution!

It turns out Passive House is, for the sake of simplicity, the proper tool for the creation and design of building envelopes that are the right foundation for this coming energy revolution.  So, all those out there who are feeling timid to go all the way and build to the Passive House Standard, I say, just  go all the way!  You won't regret it.

Look at this host of technologies:

Sunpower announces the X21 series of PV solar panels.  These are 21% efficient, - compare this to the standard PV panel efficiency of 15% - this is some 40% increase from before.....These are available NOW, but sadly, not in Canada.  Look here:  http://us.sunpowercorp.com/homes/products-services/solar-panels/x-series/

Check out this new wind generator - no turbine, no blades, no moving parts!

http://www.gizmag.com/ewicon-bladeless-wind-turbine/26907/

This same technology applied in reverse is being investigated for aircraft propulsion.

We are completely awash in technological innovations right now.